New website showcases work of Knight Grants for Reporting on Religion and American Life fellows

The Knight Program in Media and Religion supports innovative programs and projects at the intersection of religion, media and society. Ten journalists were awarded Knight Grants for Reporting on Religion and American Life in August 2011, and over the past year they produced multimedia stories on topics that touch on the spiritual lives of Americans from New York’s five boroughs to Oakland, Calif. The Knight Chair in Media and Religion has launched a website to display the work of these fellows. It is a subsidiary to its primary website, TransMissions. Visit the Knight Grants for Reporting on American Public Life website to discover:

  • G. Jeffrey MacDonald’s reports on what happened to some of the more than 100,000 kids of incarcerated parents who had been receiving services through the federal program, Mentoring Children of Prisoners since the faith-based program was defunded last year.
  • Reporter/producer Matt Ozug’s and documentary filmmaker Julia Elliott’s site “Faith in the Five Boroughs,” examines diverse expressions of spirituality among New York’s five boroughs.
  • Christopher Johnson’s stories on Ifa, the ancient Nigeria-based religion that’s been adopted by an estimated three million African Americans.
  • Nicole Greenfield’s look at “hipster” New York City evangelical churches where frank talk about sexuality is part of the pastoral message.
  • Andre Tartar’s report on the little-known Brazilian Pentecostal community active in Queens, New York, whose churches help immigrants assimilate to American life.
  • Nathan Schneider’s examination of the effect of Templeton grants on 
the academic study of "religious" topics – including free will, evil and immortality --in philosophy departments.
  • Monique Parsons’ reports on Chicago’s new mosque builders -- American-born, highly educated, Daily Show-watching, and social media-savvy.
  • Ann Neumann’s investigation into the “Conscience Clause” to the Affordable Care Act and its effect on not only the 750,000 employees of Catholic healthcare providers but the millions of Americans who are treated at Catholic institutions each year.
  • Matt O’Brien’s reports on the post-incarceration lives of Muslims who converted to Islam while in jail and the role that faith plays in their readjustment to life outside the penal system.

Visit the website